This invention relates to tool holders and more particularly to a tool holder allowing the associated tool to be quickly and readily released for repair or replacement purposes.
Tool holders are in wide use in a wide variety of industrial applications. For example, tool holders are used in association with lathes, drill presses, broaching machines, drills and the like. As one example, tool holders are used in progressive broaching machines in which a series of progressive broaching tools are provided at successive work stations on an index table and a ram is positioned over the index table for coaction with the progressive broaching tools to convert unfinished work pieces into finished work pieces. Broaching may take various forms and may comprise for example the formation of internal or external splines on the work pieces. Typically each broaching tool requires refinishing or replacement on a regular basis. It is important that the tool holder holding the broaching tool include provision for quickly and readily removing the tool from the tool holder for refinishing or replacement and for quickly and accurately repositioning the refinished or replacement tool in the tool holder.
Whereas a variety of tool holders have been utilized in association with various industrial applications, the prior art tool holders are either complex and expensive and/or do not provide quick release of the tool for refinishing or replacement and/or do not provide quick and accurate repositioning of the refinished or replacement tool in the tool holder.